Dever: "...our selfishness hurts others..."

James knows that so much of our relationship with God will be shown by our relationships with other people. As a Christian, my primary obligation in this life is not to myself. It is to God and to the body of Christ. You and I must realize that our selfishness hurts others, and that God will judge us for it. Really, we are to use ourselves for others. We must learn to cherish the opportunity of living in peace through valuing each other.

I have been in more than one church meeting where someone has made sharp comments about what he or she wants, or what must happen in the church for them to be satisfied; and I have feared how little that person must know of Christ.

What but a loss of perspective and a lack of love for Christ and his body could lead to that sort of talk? Our Christianity, if it is to live up to its name, must affect other people in a loving and godly way. What does it mean to say we are followers of Jesus Christ, who literally gave his life for others, if we do not live like that ourselves?

Religion is not a private matter. It is personal, yes, but it is also public. It is about life together.

Mark Dever, “The Message of James: Faith That Works,” in The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005), 438–439.

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John Stott on the "old man" and the "body ruled by sin" in Rom 6 v 6

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